World Series of Poker player pledges portion of winnings
18th August, 2008
The 2008 Wold Series of Poker final table isn’t scheduled to play out until November, but one of the finalists has decided to donate 1% of his winnings to a cancer-prevention charity, which could prove to be a very sizable amount of money.
The current chip leader, Dennis Phillips, has announced he will be giving a portion of his winnings to the Prevent Cancer Foundation, which is running its “Bad Beat on Cancer” fundraiser.
“I am thrilled to contribute a portion of my WSOP earnings to the Prevent Cancer Foundation,” said Phillips. “Charity involvement has always been an important part of my life, and hopefully more poker players and final table participants with follow suit in upcoming poker circuits like the European Poker Tour and the PokerStars Caribbean Adventure.”
If Phillips ends up winning this year’s WSOP main event he will be paid out $9,119,517, which means his donation could be worth about $91,000. Many in the poker world are starting to take notice of this move and are applauding his decision and what it means for the game.
“Dennis Phillips is a stand-up guy who brings a positive feeling to the WSOP final table,” said Chris Moneymaker, winner of the WSOP main event in 2003. “Most guys get to the final table and just see a big pile of money and a new life. Dennis is just happy to be playing poker and sees an opportunity to help others. His efforts are inspiring to the poker community and I’m excited to see how it all turns out in November.”
Beginning in 2003, the Bad Beat on Cancer fundraiser has been raising money to help advance the research and prevention of cancer by asking poker players to donate 1% of their winnings. As their donations are tax deductible many players are getting involved, including some who have pledged a percentage of their winnings for life.
By Michael
